2015 Sales List

Have some nice ram lambs available this year, most are high percentage Bluefaced Leicester with a hint of Border Leicester a cross I have been very happy with and have been very productive and parasite resistant, most white and a couple of natural colored boys.  I also have 1 natural colored Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb (#158) available.

On the ewe lamb front, I have 3 Bluefaced Leicesters, 2 white, 1 natural colored.  I also have 3 BFL/BL crosses, same high percentage as the ram lambs, all white.

All lambs born late March through early April.

I'm thinning the flock this year so I also have 5 yearling ewes available.  Two are 50/50 BFL/Finnsheep crosses, 1 white, 1 natural colored, amazing fleeces.  One ewe is 3/4 BFL & 1/4 Rambouillet/Cotswold (white), really nice fleece with this cross, one of my favorites.  Last 2 ewes are the BFL/BL (high BFL %) cross, 1 white, 1 natural colored.

Price list:

Ram Lambs
Bluefaced Leicester (natural colored twin) ram lamb - $275
BFL/BL cross ram lambs (75/25) (twins & triplets, 1 single, white & natural colored) - $200

Ewe Lambs
Bluefaced Leicester ewe lambs (2 white & 1 natural colored, all twins) $250
BFL/BL cross ewe lambs (75/25) (white, all twins) - $200

Yearling Ewes
BFL/Ramb./Cotswold cross (75/12/12) (white, twin) - $250
BFL/BL (75/25) (1 white, 1 natural colored, twins) - $250
BFL/Finnsheep (50/50) (1 white, 1 natural colored, twin sisters) - $300

Contact me if you are interested in a specific lamb and I can get more pics to you (jenfitzh20 at gmail dot com).

BFL/BL cross ram lamb

BFL ram & ewe lambs with mom

BFL/BL cross ewe lamb on left, BFL ewe lamb right front

BFL/BL yearling ewe

BFL/Finnsheep crosses when they were lambs (2014)

2015 Update

Yes, apparently I'm going to yearly updates...sorry about that!  So many things to do, so little time!  I'll try to be better about posting this year!

So this year I decided I wanted to shear the sheep myself.  Love my shearer but I wanted a bit more control over when I sheared so this was my solution.  I purchased a pair of used shears from Premier1 and sharpened all my scissors (just in case) and began with my beloved Flo. 

Now one thing that any shearer will tell you, the more spoiled and friendly a sheep is, the harder he/she is to shear.  No lie.  Flo wasn't about to dispel that belief either.  Why on earth I thought she was a good ewe to start with, I've no idea.  She bucked and jumped and rammed me a multitude of times and got a bit nicked up for her troubles.  But I got'er done.  Decided that what was working the best was to shear the nasty bits with the electric shears, because it doesn't matter if there are "second cuts" (spinners nightmare) and then finish up shearing the good bits with scissors since I'm fairly adept at that.  The only issue is keeping scissors sharp when shearing wool with them and I have yet to master sharpening scissors.  The other issue with scissors is the blisters that quickly develop on my fingers making it a tad painful.

I again made the mistake of choosing a feisty ewe, Anise, for my second attempt (part Shetland...nuff said).  Same plan worked on her and I could feel my confidence growing.  Until she jumped and knocked the shearers out of my hand, they landed head first on the concrete and the middle prongs on the comb broke.  Dangit!  Two sheep in and I've already busted the comb.  Oh well, they still cut, just leave a mohawk of wool down the middle.  I make do and finish up with the scissors again.  Two down....I don't want to think about how many to go.

Next ewe, Jill, was a champ.  I don't think she even flinched once so I thanked her by not cutting her at all...I think she was pretty appreciative :). 

I ordered new combs and some more cutters and finished up all the pregnant ewes in no time.  I'm getting much more comfortable with the shears and am developing a routine so I think this was a good decision despite my fear that I'd lost my mind after deciding to try this.  Once I'd bought the shears I was pretty much locked in to doing it as they cost as much as the shearer would have charged me to shear most of the flock so budget demanded I follow through with my plan.  I was happy that I was able to shear the girls just a couple of weeks before lambing started vs more than a month before or after.  Now I can finish up the rest of the flock during my time off for lambing.  Honestly I enjoy doing it, at least the ones that are cooperative.  Now if I could just convince my back, arms and hands that we enjoy it...

Lambing began yesterday with triplets from Jill, 2 ewes and 1 ram lamb.  Before lambing starts every year, you listen carefully for that lamb baa as you are walking towards the lambing paddock & shed.  Honestly I didn't think we were quite there yet so yesterday when I got home from work and started walking out to feed the ewes, I wasn't really expecting to hear that sound.  When I did, it stopped me in my tracks and immediately the eyes start scanning for lambs.  Jill had gathered them around the big hay bale.  It was drizzling and they were on the drier side all snuggled up and warm.  I gathered them up to take them in to a jug so they could stay dry and warm and I could get some warm molasses water and some grain and hay to Jill.  The 3 first timer ewes, Gladys, Glenys and Eleanor, all raced into the barn like a gaggle of teenage girls, you could almost hear them giggling as they hopped and tossed their heads with the excitement.  Its always fun to watch the first timers with their curiosity about what is going on with new moms and then the shock sets in when its their turn and that strange pain begins.  Then there is even more shock when they look back to see what has come from that pain....what the hell is THAT?!  I think Bridget and I will always remember watching Sadie lamb in the pasture one year and jump back from her new lamb after he shook his head flinging birth fluids.  Thankfully that maternal instinct kicks in pretty quickly...usually that is. I want to flog them when it doesn't which doesn't happen often (Evie, you hear that??).

So I'm hoping the remaining ewes decide to hold off for 1 more day (vacation starts) so I can be there for them if they need me.  I'll also try to remember to take some pictures during shearing (totally forgot during the first round) so we can see some befores and afters!

2014 Sheep for sale, Bluefaced Leicester & crosses

Below is a listing of adults and lambs available, purebred BFL and some crosses.  Can put a starter flock together for you if interested.  Please contact me for more details at jenfitzh20 at gmail dot com or in the comment section.  Located in NW Missouri.

Spring is coming and so are lambs!

Yes, its been a while.  My desire to write disappeared for a while.  But, its that time of the year, lambs will be coming soon and I love to share it.  Its a time when I get to sit out in the lambing shed and bond with the girls.  Honestly its one of my favorite times of year.

Aliza with her 2013 triplets

Its always fascinating to me to watch the hierarchy in play between them.  No one messes with Queen Aliza but she is a good queen (unlike some former queens).  She is fair but firm.  This is my spot, if you're in it, I'll politely paw your back and you will move.  Lucy has gotten a bit cranky in her old age and has resorted to ramming those that get too close (a streak of her mother Cybil in her).  The "second timers" have that resigned look about them.  Here we go again...I feel SO fat!  The first timers are the funniest.  I got a couple of Finnsheep 2 yrs ago and this will be their first lambing.  One, named Nutmeg, is like a dog and absolutely adorable.  She loves to cuddle, thankfully she's small lol.

Nutmeg

Her sis, Lily, doesn't know what to do with herself.  She flits from place to place, you can almost hear her question "what the heck is going on here people?! What is happening to us??"  The other first timers are familiar with the lambing shed, of course they were all born there, have memories of running and playing there so they're thinkin' this is pretty dang cool.  Grain, hay, nice fresh straw, what more could you want??

Then there is the massage time, the crowd gathers around me when I first go out and sit down.  Oh she's here she's HERE!  Scratch here...right here..oh yes, thats the spot.  Back rub please!!  Then Aliza arrives and the crowd parts.  She walks up to me, burps up the most fowl smelling cud and chews it like a 5th grader with a wad of bubble gum.  "You doin' back massages?  No?  Well you are NOW :)!"  Lucy waddles over and all I need to do for her is stick my hand out, she does the rest.  She just likes head scratches, don't touch her back, she doesn't like back massages.  Claire isn't demanding, she is just sweet.  A nice cheek rub, scratch between the shoulders and she's good.

Then they all lay down, adjusting bellies so they can breath.  Lips curl with the discomfort and sounds of gurgling bellies and rising cuds fill the air.  Ahhh, its almost lambing time :)!

Bella with her adoring fans :)

Sales List - 2013

Hello all, hope summer is treating you well so far!  Just got 2" of rain in the past 2 weeks here so I'm happy as a clam!  Lambs are growing beautifully, I'm very pleased with the way they're coming along this year.

I'll be selling a few adult & yearling Mule ewes this year, 1 BFL adult ewe and as well as most of the 2013 lamb crop.  All lambs this year are out of my new BFL ram, Somerhill Xray (twin).  Xray is sired by Llwygy 3772 - X1 UK (twin) and Somerhill Ballad 2323 (single) is his dam.  Xray is tested RR, most resistant to scrapie.

I got a lot of nice lambs out of Xray (aka Ray) this spring and my ewe lamb percentage, for the first time, exceeded my ram lamb percentage. Ray's fleeces sold for a (DreamCatcher) record breaking $24 per lb and the buyer said "This is a once in (my) lifetime kinda fleece!" and included this pic of some washed locks:

Wow!  Look at that sheen!

Finally!!!

As most of you know, I have been about to pull my hair out this past week waiting for lambs.  I was expecting Miss Aliza to start the season last week or even sooner but she decided April 4th was the day...or maybe I should say the 3 Stooges decided for her.  Of course they are adorable but I couldn't help think of them as such because #1 came backassward, #2 was trying to push his way out next to #1 and #3 decided only 1 leg was necessary to make his exit.  Sheesh, talk about diving into the deep end.

Lambs are a coming!

Lamb watch officially began tonight!  Fresh load of straw and alfalfa was delivered, jugs are up and filled with straw.  Grabbed my cuppa tea and watched as they all trotted into the lambing shed and pasture delighting in the tiny sprigs of grass in the  new pasture and of course had to go in and christen the fresh straw.

The ewe lambs are still in with the ewes so it was beyond amusing to watch them run around like a clique of teenage girls, leaping and kicking up their heels.  You could almost hear the squeals as they all ran from the lambing shed after seeing an imaginary threat of some kind.

The ewes are filling out for sure, the waddling has begun in earnest.  Every year I watch Evie for signs of motherhood and every year I think I see it.  Again this year, she has no real bag development but she is big as a house.  More than likely its just all the grain and alfalfa she has been lucky to be in on but I can still hope can't I?

So I just left them all still munching on the tiny bits of grass.  I love that sound of contented munching.  Is it nuts that I want to go back out and spend the night in the barn?